Rebels take 5 civilians from Phil village

Militant gunmen who raided a southern Philippine village took five civilians to use as human shields as they retreated.

Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said none of the hostages taken on Wednesday were students.

The gunmen who raided the village at dawn had positioned themselves inside a school as they engaged troops in a gunbattle. The school was closed at the time.

Padilla said authorities were still trying to verify if the civilians had been freed or not. He added that a spokesman for the attackers has said they did not mean to take hostages and the civilians were taken only to help cover their withdrawal.

Padilla said no one has been reported hurt, the situation has been addressed, and the gunmen have retreated.